sally morgan – Page 2 – Aussie Reviews

The Memory Shed, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Sheds don’t move on their own. Did Grandma have a bad dream? Is she feeling a bit muddled? Just to keep her happy, I peer through the glass. All I can see are two old cane chairs sitting empty on the back verandah.
‘Don’t worry,’ I say. ‘I’m sure the shed hasn’t moved.’

Grandma wants to clean out er cluttered back shed, and Annie is helping her. But the shed seems to have other ideas. Every time Grandma plans the clean-up, the shed seems to resist. Annie helps Grandma uncover some of the treasures the shed holds – and the memories they bring back – and in the process, they realise that the shed just might be right.

The Memory Shed is a gently humorous story about family, about remembering the past, and about connections between generations. A contemporary story, it also explores the effects of the Great Depression, and life in bush camps.

Illustrations, by Craig Smith, are in grey scale, and appear on every spread. Comprehensive teaching notes are available on the Scholastic website.

Suitable for classroom use and for private reading by emergent readers.

The Memory Shed, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Omnibus Books, 2015
ISBN 9781742990347

Available from good bookstores and online.

One Rule for Jack, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina

This is what I do every morning.
Lock the bathroom door. Turn on the shower. Take off my clothes. Wet my hand. Run it through my hair. Turn off the shower. Come out with a towel wrapped around my waist.

When Jack discovers that pretending to have a shower gets him out of having to have one, he decides to use his one rule – do it badly – to get out of just about everything. But Mum seems to have a solution to everything: when he breaks the broom, she gets him to sweep with a dustpan and brush, when the mophead ‘disappears’, she suggests a toothbrush; and when it’s time to wash the dog, Jack’s really in for a smelly surprise. Maybe Mum is onto his tricks.

One Rule for Jack is a funny chapter book for newly confident or emerging readers. The text is accessible and humorous, and there is illustrative support in the form of grey-scale illustrations by Craig Smith.

Any child who has tried – and failed – to trick their parents will enjoy themselves in this book.

One Rule for Jack

One Rule for Jack, by Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Omnibus, 2014
ISBN 9781742990330

Available from good bookstores and online.

A Feast for Wombat, by Sally Morgan & Tania Erzinger

Wombat stared in surprise at the other animals.
Am I special after all?

When Wombat emerges from his tunnel, his friends are really glad to see him, but as Wombat watches them celebrate he feels sad. Each of his friends is good at something: Goanna is the fastest climber, Magpie is the best singer and Dingo is the cleverest dancer. Wombat wants to go back and hide in his tunnel, but his friends run after him to remind him that he, too, is good at things, and best of all, that Wombat is their friend.

A Feast for Wombat is a gentle tale of friendship and self belief. While Wombat wants to be like his friends, he seems unaware that each of them is different, as is he. His friends’ reminder of his own strengths is reassuring, and will reassure young readers, too.

The acrylic illustrations bring the cast of Australian animals to life in gentle bush colours with lovely textured backgrounds, adding to the warm feel of the book.

A Feast for Wombat, by Sally Morgan & Tania Erzinger
Omnibus, 2014
ISBN 9781742990187

Available from good bookstores or online.

Remembered by Heart, various authors Foreward by Sally Morgan

This moving collection of youthful memories touches on a broad sweep of history and includes people from many Aboriginal countries. The stories have been shared in the hope they will make a difference to people’s understanding of the past, and in the belief that a just future can be created for all.

These are powerful stories of survival that share pain, humour, grief, endurance, life experience and hope. Take as a whole, they detail the devastating impact of many decades of repressive legislation on the lives of individuals and families. Legislation which, while aimed at ‘protecting’ Aboriginal people, obliterated any access to basic human rights.

Remembered by Heart is an anthology of true stories from a diverse range of Aboriginal Australians, often about their youth of that of their parents. The anthology reflects a variety of experiences across many years. Authors detail what it was like to live on a mission, to be removed from your family to live miles away from anywhere familiar, to a variety of education opportunities. For some, education meant learning to keep house for others. For others, there was the chance to complete high school.

Remembered by Heart is a moving collection of true stories about growing up in a different time. It details the range of Aboriginal experiences from 1930s to more recently. The collection reflects many voices, and reads like oral stories. Publicity material with the collection suggests it is aimed at upper-primary and early-secondary readers, but there is much here for a broader readership. No one should be able to say that they haven’t heard these stories, so that there is no risk of repeating mistakes of the past. But as well as tales of horror, there are many stories of family, connection and reconnection. Recommended for anyone who wants to understand Australia’s past.

Remembered by Heart, various authors, foreward by Sally Morgan Fremantle Press 2014 ISBN: 9781922089779

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Going Bush With Grandpa, by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Craig Smith

I jump in the front. ‘Bye, Mum!’ I yell as we pull out of the drive. ‘I’ll bring you back a shiny gold nugget!’
‘Make it a big one!’ she laughs. ‘Then we can all go on a holiday!’

Pete is off on a bush camping trip with his Grandpa, whose name is also Pete. Both of them are excited about the prospect of finding a gold nugget with Grandpa’s super duper new metal detector. But as well as looking for gold, the pair are spending time together – they play jokes, they sing songs, and Grandpa cooks his speciality – curry.

Going Bush with Grandpa is a lovely story of the friendship and connection between two generations of a family. Pete and Grandpa share a special bond and the reader is given the sense that the real nugget here is that connection – though they’ll also hope, along with Pete, for a gold nugget to be found.

With text by Sally Morgan and her son Ezekiel Kwaymullina, and illustrations by Craig Smith on every spread, the story is accessible to readers in early primary years.

Going Bush with Grandpa

Going Bush with Grandpa, by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Craig Smith
Omnibus, 2014
ISBN 9781742990262

Available from good bookstores and Sally Morgan and online.

Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, ill Peter Sheehan

It wasn’t my fault. Honestly, it wasn’t!

The joke was supposed to freak out my teenage twin sisters. Not make Mum go psycho!

Lately Mum’s been bugging me to be nicer to Sharni and Tia, She’s always saying, ‘They’re teenagers, Charlie. Teenagers get upset easily. And you go out of your way to annoy them!’

But Mum doesn’t know the twins played a horrible trick on my yesterday.

They sucked me in with a can of my favourite cooldrink – Orange Fizz.

Charlie Burr can’t be blamed when a fun prank goes wrong, can he? Well, it seems he can. Even if his sisters pranked him first. And as if upsetting Mum in her birthday week isn’t enough, it seems that there is no chance of beating the school big-boasting, know-it-all, win-it-all, Tim and his cursing bird. And there’s nothing Charlie would like more than to wipe the smile from the face of the annoying Tim. Particularly if it gives him an opportunity to make Mum’s birthday special. But every idea Charlie – with and without the assistance of his best friend Johnno – comes up with, seems to make everything worse. This could be one time Charlie’s ‘can-do’ attitude might not help.

‘Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster’ is part of a series featuring Charlie and his friend Johnno. They are imaginative and enthusiastic young characters living in a community where there is still plenty of freedom for children to explore their own imagination. Charlie’s adventures could have been cooked-up by many a mid-primary-aged child. Children will relate well to Charlie’s ideas as well as to the things that go wrong. The story occurs over the space of a week, but text is further broken up by wandering bird prints. Text is wide-spaced. Cover art is reminiscent of several popular internationally produced contemporary fiction series and aimed at the same market. Young readers, particularly mid-primary boys will enjoy this realistic romp. Look out for other titles in the same series: Charlie Burr and the Three Stolen dollars and Charlie Burr and the Great Shed Invasion.

Charlie Burr and the Crazy Cockroach Disaster by Sally Morgan, Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, ill Peter Sheehan
Little Hare Books 2012
ISBN: 9781921714863

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

My Country, by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan

My Country is, as the title suggests, a wonderful celebration of country. The young narrator sings, dances, splashes and dreams in her country before declaring, on the final page, “I love my country”. The simple yet beautifully crafted text, written by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, is brought to life visually by illustrations by his mother, Sally Morgan. The protagonist smiles her way through her country…

In my country I play with the Morning Star
sing the earth’s song
fly with the red desert dust…

The simple yet beautifully crafted text, written by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, is brought to life visually by illustrations by his mother, Sally Morgan. The protagonist smiles her way through her country, and her smile is returned by all around her – the animals, the sun, moon and stars, even the rocks, the sand and the wind.

This is a wonderful reminder of the connection between Indigenous Australians and their land, and as such is an outstanding offering for Aboriginal children and their families, but it is a book for all children and all Australians about the wonders of nature and the importance of connecting with country.

The author and illustrator are from the Palyku people in Western Australia’s Pilbara. Sally Morgan is renowned both for her artwork and for her books, including her autobiography My Place.

My Country, by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan
Fremantle Press, 2011
ISBN 9781921696916

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Sam's Bush Journey, by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Sam loved staying with his nanna, except for one thing.
Her house was surrounded by bush.
Nana liked to take Sam for long walks. But when they got home, Sam’s legs and arms would be covered in scratches from the spiky shrubs that grew in the bush.

Sam and his grandmother, Nanna, go for long walks in the bush. Nanna tells him all about the bush, about safe foods and shelter. But for Sam, the bush is full of danger and annoyance. There are gum trees that might drop their branches on him, and mosquitos and pesky mosquitos at the waterhole. But while his conscious self focuses on the things he doesn’t like, perhaps he is absorbing the teaching Nanna offers. In a dream, he is in the bush and lost. Piece by piece, he recalls Nanna’s words. When he wakes in his bed the next morning, extra-hungry, his view of the bush has begun to change. Bronwyn Bancroft’s colourful illustrations show a wonderful bush, full of colour and life.

Sam takes two journeys in this beautiful picture book. The first is the physical one through the bush, where he sees only the dark things, the potential for danger, the scratchy branches and the itch-making mosquitos. Nanna expresses no disappointment, just keeps providing information that Sam appears not to appreciate. But his dream takes him back into the same country and the reader discovers that Sam has learned more than seemed apparent. Knowledge is passed on and Sam begins to see beyond the obvious and to develop his own relationship with the bush. The message is simple and clear and the illustrations are bright and colourful. In the background are dark figures, perhaps suggesting that the wisdom imparted by his grandmother has come from the land itself. Recommended for junior primary readers.

Sam’s Bush Journey, Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina ill Bronwyn Bancroft
Little Hare 2010
ISBN: 9781921541728

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews. review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Magic Fair, by Sally Morgan

Kayla felt excited when she woke up.
The Magic Fair was in town! She had heard so many wonderful stories about the Fair. She could hardly believe she was finally going to see it for herself.
When Kayla arrived at the Fair with Uncle Mike and her cousin Peter, she was more excited than ever. But when she saw the sign hanging over the entrance gate, she shivered.

Kayla is going to the Magic Fair with her Uncle Mike and cousin Peter. She’s excited but not quite sure what to expect, particularly when the entrance sign advises caution. Peter pays no attention and when Uncle Mike leaves them to do their own thing, Peter takes off leaving Kayla behind. On her own, Kayla discovers all sorts of magical surprises throughout the Fair as she tries to find her naughty cousin. The Magic Fair gives Kayla a chance to have some fun and Peter a chance to atone for his bullying. Black and white illustrations appear on almost every opening.

The Magic Fair is a new title in Fremantle Press’s Waarda series for newly independent readers. They are small paperbacks with rich stories featuring indigenous families. Some are traditional stories while others, like The Magic Fair, are more contemporary. The message here is clear that bullies need to learn that their actions will have consequences. Kayla is cross with her cousin but rather than just be angry, she follows him to try to take him to account. She is helped in this by magical elements of the Fair. The Fair becomes almost like another character, guiding and helping her to find Peter. Sally Morgan also edits the Waarda Series. The final pages tell a little of her own story and why she wrote The Magic Fair . Recommended for readers ready to transition to short chapter books.

The Magic Fair , Sally Morgan
Fremantle Press 2010
ISBN:9781921696121

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond.

The Land of Dragonay, by Sally Morgan and Ambelin, Blaze & Ezekiel Kwaymullina

I pull the stopwatch out of my back pocket. The small face appears straightaway. “Tick-tock, stopwatch! Dragonay, was it?” says the stopwatch.
“Hey, you were listening in!”
The stopwatch cackles proudly.
I press the little gold knob.
Tick, tick, tick.
Dragonay, here we come!

Tom has just got back from his latest mission to another world, when Grandpa tells him he needs to on another mission. Grandpa has discovered a dragon egg – and it’s about to hatch. Tom and his friends Bilby and Mother Bird head to Dragonay, taking the egg with them. But the residents of Dragonay don’t trust humans, and all the dragons have disappeared. Can they return the egg and solve the problems of Dragonay?

The Land of Dragonay is the third instalment in the Stopwatch series and offers a satisfying follow up to the first two, as well as setting up further titles. With lots of action, a healthy dose of humour and text which is both easy to read and interesting, this book, and its predecessors, will appeal to middle primary aged readers of all reading abilities.

The Land of Dragonay, by Sally Morgan and Ambelin, Blaze & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Walker Books, 2010

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.